Emily's Father Research Paper

Master/Slave power structures: Miss Emily’s Father Through Emily’s Father, Faulkner conveys his apprehension of the master/slave power structures in the South. You can see this through the strained and very much controlling relationship between Emily and her Father. Emily’s inability to continuewith her life due to the loss of her over empowering father. And lastly, Emily’s Father being the embodiment also as a father figure/paternal hierarchy of the South. So let's take a look into the symbolism of Emily’s Father. The first reason for Emily’s Father being a symbolic figure of the Southern power structures is the controlling relationship between Emily and her Father. As an example from the book “A Rose for Emily,” it is …show more content…
An example from the book is when it says “The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is our custom. Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. Just as they were about to resort to law and force, she broke down, and they buried her father quickly.” What can be concluded from this passage is how hopelessly lost Emily is without her Father. In the text it describes how she was in such shock and disbelief over the loss of her Father she couldn't even admit it to the other town folk that he was dead. Not necessarily overcome with grief due to the loss of losing a loved one but more likely unable to cope with the loss of no longer having someone in constant control of her. It also shown when she is unable to properly take care of the house as well as herself. As we see her slowly descend into the darkest recesses of her mind and is unable to escape in order to save the last pieces of humanity and sanity she has left. This can all of course be traced back to emily’s loss because as soon as he dies we see the train …show more content…
Faulkner shows us this by highlighting key points such as his constant worry for Emily finding the perfect Husband. She of course doesn't as he views everyone of her suitors as a low life how isn't deserving of her. A good example of this would be from “Questions about the South,” where it is highlighted the importance that it is of Southern white women to marry into a good family so that her family may continue to uphold a good public view and to maintain a successful lifestyle. It also mentioned the importance it was for Southern Gentleman to protect their women at any given costs. And as we can see Emily’s Father did more that just that by ensuring that no man were to even come close to